#i also think if we do get a human boss Mel and them should kiss---

[codenamethebird]

More Hades 2 rambles from me! Though this time round it's a continuation of a point I made in this post.

Specifically, that I think the final boss of the Surface will be a living human mortal.

A couple people on that post disagreed that it would be a human, mostly just because of boss fight mechanics. Which I do get, but this is my not so little refute of that idea (all in good fun of course, I very well might be wrong! I just have thought a bunch about it since then and wanted to ramble about it).

I'll be getting into later how the game could have a hard mechanically satisfying human final boss later, because first I want to talk about how it would make sense naratively. Not because anyone remotely argued this point, I just think it's interesting haha.

So let's go back for a moment to Hades 1, and it's final boss, Hades himself. On a mechanical sense, it makes total sense, Hades is the god and master of the underworld Zag is trying to escape. He would be the final obstacle. But what really makes Hades work as the final boss, is the story and emotional reason he's there.

The plot of Hades is ultimately about Zag's messy relationship with his dad. And that final boss fight is an ongoing conversation with him. While irl you and your questionable dad constantly fighting to death is not a great way to fix your problems, these are weird bound to underworld greek gods. Death is their weird love language for like half this cast haha. There is a reason Death is one of, if not the main love interest.

Okay now that I've established that, let's look at the one final boss we do know from Hades 2, Chronos. Now it's Grandpa's time to shine. Unlike Hades 1, he fits a lot cleaner into a more traditional villian role. The monster who literally takes over your house and takes your family hostage.

In that way, it is a personal fight for Mel to save her family, but Mel lacks a specific personal connection to Chronos himself. Obviously there's the whole Grandpa thing, but she wasn't like raised by him or anything. He is a convient big bad she can hate simply and wholeheartedly. While he does try to challenge her beliefs at times, Mel will never listen to him because of the whole family kidnapping thing, and Gramps equally doesn't want to engage with her either. He just wants to be a dick to her.

While I'm a firm believer in the "We (the gods) are actually the bad guys" theory, I don't think Chronos is secretly an angel. He did you know eat his kids and that entire scene with Hades and him just reeked of shitty dad vibes. While Chronos might be better for humanity, I think he really is using them as a prop and doesn't genuinely care about them. (This is a derail, but I do think the human army side of things including Prometheus will turn on Chronos at some point. Specifcally that they are already planning to).

But yes, basically, while I adore Chronos as a villain, you get none of the character growth from either party that you got between Zag and Hades in the first game. Obviously, we are still in early access, so there's more dialouge to be had. But from what we have seen, those two are not changing the other. So this is my roundabout way to say that must mean the Surface boss is the one that is going to be all about Melinoe's character growth.

I don't think I need to explain why fighting a human would be a fascinating place for character growth for humanities #1 hater Melinoe. Mel's the Hades equivalent in this game (not the Zag), who will not listen to anyone who disagrees with her. Getting beat up by a human might actually start to get it through her head.

But also I want to dig into why I don't think the final boss will be another Titan. I've seen Atlas thrown around a bunch as a possible final Surface boss. Also Typhon... I'm certain there are others. But I don't know what they would add to the narrative, especially as a final boss? I think there's more evidence for Atlas, so I'll focus on him.

It would make some sense, he was the leader of the titan rebellion and much like Prometheus, in certain versions of the myth he was also freed from his punishment by Heracles! Which considering Heracles suspicious lack of dialouge so far, and the dialouge he does have being a god hater, I do think he's the one who freed Prometheus in this game.

But other than those connections, what does Atlas add to make him an interesting antagonist to Mel? He's not particularly tied to humanity, and while his punishment sucked he did lead a rebellion against the gods (and traditionally the reasons have nothing to do with humans).

Mostly, in my opinion, if the game was going to have a titan also be the final boss for the Surface, it wouldn't be Atlas. It would be Prometheus. He's the powerful titan who has a legitimate gruge against the gods and who can engage with Mel in interesting ways, challenging her stance against the gods. But they have already used Prometheus, I don't know how they could write Atlas (or whatever titan/god) in a way that would be more interesting than Prometheus, and rival the Hades boss fight for thematic weight. Also, it would be 2 titans in a row, which isn't nessisarily a bad thing, but still.

I've also seen people throw around it might he Ares, which I will admit would I would be way more excited for that another titan. Theres some interesting ideas to be had with an Olympian who has betrayed the gods. But we already have dialouge with Athena where she says how Chronos' armies motivations wouldn't line up with Ares'. And I feel like going from a dude only obsessed with war to someone fighting for some kind of higher cause would be a jump in character. Not impossible, but a little weird.

And ultimately, I just think that a Human would serve the purpose better as an antagonist to Mel who would shake her worldview on living mortals in particular. A fight with Ares would mess with her relationship with the gods, but not as clearly with humans.

Okay now that I've talked about themes, how about what people actually had an issue with lol, how would a final boss with a human make sense from a boss fight perspective. I have three main ideas, that don't really contradict each other and could all exist in the fight.

1st idea: multiple enemies. We've heard that there are human armies, the final boss could possibly be a leader of them. We could have hords of enemies, could have select recognizable commanders that have different skill sets, etc. None of the Surface boss fights have multi bosses in them (they have random mobs but none like the sirens or Theseus and Asterius), so I don't think it would be strange to have it. And while stretching the definition of a human boss a bit, these other bosses could be ghosts and other kinds of beings (I just think the main boss should be a breathing human).

2nd idea and tbh my main one. Have them be a Witch! Or some other kind of magic user. I feel like this should be obvious, but a lot of the theming around Hades 2 is witchy/magic stuff and it's wild we don't have a major witch enemy yet (other than obviously Hecate, but for obvious reasons I don't count her).

I'm thinking some kind of High Priestess of Chronos kind of character, we still don't know exactly how Chronos was revived and this could tie in, but there's a bunch of ways you could spin a magic user! I think it would be a prime place to put a narrative foil to Melinoe. A fellow Witch whose family was stolen away by the gods who is looking for justice. Maybe when finally looking into a mirror, some of the stuff Melinoe's been told will finally breach her thick headed skull haha.

I don't think I really need to get into the technical about how a witch fight could be cool. But one idea, tying into my first point, a magic user could have mind powers and compell powerful beings to fight for them. This could be the Zag boss fight of borderline crack theories or even maybe the aforementioned Ares who maybe got captured during his war path. A magic fight doesn't need possessed enemies, but it could be cool.

And finally, my 3rd idea. You might be going, but how could a human be more powerful than Prometheus? Well first point magic, but more seriously, just have them be boosted by Chronos and/or other allies. I mentioned a theory about a high priestess sort of character (the power of God and ani--), but more specifically, if they do go the route of a foil to Melinoe, she has her boons from the gods. Much like Theseus in Hades 1, the final surface boss could gain the boons of Chronos/Prometheus/and the like. Maybe even a Chaos boon, they have already aided Chronos once, and there's a decent chance the humans might betray Chronos at some point so Chaos might be chill with them. This could also be a way to introduce more titan characters and the like without needing to make models for them haha.

But yes, tldr, magic human gives us both the thematic weight of it being a human, witch stuff to parallel Melinoe, and just cool powerful magic fight as a final boss (and it could parallel the Hecate boss fight, the first boss u fight and the last being magic based).

[ruffiorocks]

Supergirl Season 5 premiere review!

Ok!! So there's a lot to process here but first off WOW! Bravo! 👏👏 as season premieres go that was probably one of if not the best.

Ok... So opening scene, you could so tell that was a simulation from the way Kara talked. I should also like to give a big 🖕🖕 to all those that were dragging Lena saying she either:

1. Gave herself super powers

2. Used Kryptonite

3. Punched Kara in front of some school kids.

Is it just me, or does Hope the AI give off an "I'm going to become sentient and be a massive pain in the ass?" Vibe? 🤔🤔

My poor baby Lena, how awful must it be to believe that everyone you know has betrayed you, that you can't trust them and you have no one to talk to? So you create your own personal AI that won't (probably will ) betray you, oh and you bring someone (Andrea ) back into your life when clearly things haven't always been smooth sailing? Poor Lena!

Ugh..Must they throw out politics less that 3 minutes into the show? We have Kara talking about registering to vote?

Ok, so everyone is praising Kara, she's talking about having her work recognised, Baker and Lex being taken down, but yet again there is NO mention of the fact that it was Lena who figured out where Lex was, Lena who helped Kara/Supergirl etc. Oh that's right I forgot, the show doesn't like to acknowledge when things couldn't have been done without Lena 😤😤

Naww Alex and Kelly are so cute.

Kara suddenly has a dislike for technology?? Random and purely there for plot convenience.

Not going to lie but Jonn is kind of boring this episode.

Ok... So here we go again, Kara using stupid excuses to not tell Lena. Ugh.... this is getting so old and cliche to the point it isn't even funny anymore.

Yes!! They have Kara acknowledging that lying to Lena for so long while being all about 'truth' wasn't fair.

Yes Alex the voice of reason Danvers!! She can tell Kara off essentially while still praising her and letting her know she is good. I'm loving how it's ALEX who is saying Lena needs to know!

😂 Miranda Priestly, yes Brainy I quite agree! Id rather face Hannibal Lector than her. Oh bring back Cat Grant!!

😂😂 omg that handshake! I'm willing to bet that Alex's laugh was just Chyler not being able to keep a straight face and they kept it.

James is boring.

Strangely turned on by the way Andrea says her name 😅

James is boring.

Not going to lie, I know Lena wanted Andrea to keep the sale of Cat Co a secret, but I'm actually glad we got to see Kara's shock at not being kept in the loop. Humble pie much??

Ok the exhibit is funny.

Did they have a casting call for a creepy kid?

Dinosaur!!

Katie is so good at the whole pretending to be happy and friendly whilst plotting face 🤣. Morgana much?

Oh.... Kara is being indignant Lena did something without telling them all?? Another bite of pie Kara?

Hahahaha 🖕 to all those that said Lena didn't buy Cat Co for Kara. (I know she might be saying that to explain the sale away, but it's been said so it's canon!)

Oooh Lena is really making it obvious she knows 🤣🤣 awkward much lol

Dinosaur!!

Karas cape is more important than a bomb to Brainy 😂

Ooh here that's scene at Cat Co. I stand by my last post, James and Kara are incredibly rude to their new boss and have zero right to speak to her that way. James and Kara used all of the staff to gang up on Andrea and it's just not on! I love how Andrea roasted James though!!

Does anyone here ever read a contract before signing it?

Am I the only one thought Andrea was Lenas ex when she said "relationship"?? 😅😅 false alarm lol

Why is Kara still flying with a crap cape? She doesn't need one to fly.

trap!!

Midnight isn't all that exciting.

Oh so Jonn remembers Manchester Black, but i take it no one wants to acknowledge his blatant MURDER Of the disarmed non powered human? Ok writers you can forget it all you want, but I'm not going to!

😂 Brainy! It is great fun to watch Jonn shift into Kara!

Oh Alex you angel and voice of reason.

Yay Kelly!! Lovely advice, love how she's the one who convinced James to leave! Kelly just got a massive boost in my eyes!

William is hilariously obnoxious!!

Erm... Did Kara just FULL ON verbally attack her new boss? Threatening to fight her boss on everything? Dictating what Andrea can and can not do? Giving out demands? Jesus Christ, Andrea I know you said you're not going to fire her but man I would have on the spot!! Kara is waaaay out of order and getting way to big for her super boots!

I don't think William and Kara are going to be a couple, that's the exact same story as Mon El and Kara. No one wants to watch that again.

Ok so now Kara is bragging to Alex that she verbally attacked her new boss, telling her what SHE will and will not tolerate? Omg Kara get a grip!

Alex?? You're encouraging this? You were supposed to be the voice of reason!

Naww Alex and Kelly are cute!

Ooh Brainy is so funny! "To small to be perceived". He made her a new suit!

Holy s**t!! Kara just out right came out to Lena!! I really thought she would drag this out start rambling and not actually do it So Lena sees her change instead. But good for her, about bloody time!!

Lena genuinely looks shocked! She didn't expect Kara to come clean! Puts a spanner in Lena's revenge plot there lol

Jesus the acting of these two!! The facial expressions and the tears! Mel is really selling it! Bravo 👏👏

I'm loving how Kara is acknowledging all the things we've been saying, how her reasons for keeping the secret were dumb!

Oh I don't trust this Hope AI at all! She's encouraging Lena to hate on Kara.

Oh the speech, and Alex's awkward look!

No way was Lena going to immediately forgive Kara, I know we wanted to think it but Nooo! Far to soon lol

Omg!! It was Lena Kara activated her new suit infront of!! I'm living for that!

PANTS!!!

HOLY SH*T MUSE!!! Yesssss!!! What a sound track to use!!

Alex "how do you guys change so fast?!" 🤣🤣

Oh.. ... look...... Guardian is there.....Hopefully for his last appearance

Fight itself isn't all that exciting, and I feel like we didn't even get to know Midnight, that was way to quick.

James quit, good! Leave!! Seems a bit stupid he doesn't care about never being a journalist again though. But I won't dwell, because I genuinely don't care.

Alex and Kelly! Oh my heart!

Oh so Brainy has had A LOT of romantic experience then? 😏

Aww he loves her!!

I'm glad they had Brainy acknowledge his feeling at having been dark for that short time.

Nawwww a kiss!

That little girl is way creepy!

Oh so Jonn doesn't know he has a brother? 🤔 interesting.

Oh look Lena gets a super watch, ABOUT BLOODY TIME!! That could have prevented so many problems! Straight out of a fan fic lol

Oh yes, I don't trust this AI Hope!!

Lena no! You are NOT a Luthor!

Ok... so all in all a fab episode, nothing was dragged out thank RAO! I don't hate Lena for wanting to expose Kara, it makes sense from a comic point of view and from the pain she feels. The important thing is she didn't do it. People are allowed to feel like they are going to lash out when they are hurt.

I quite like Andrea, she's a breath of fresh air! Plus she isn't wrong in her ideas, just because it's something Kara, Nia and James don't like doesn't mean it's wrong. I think she was treated horribly and despicably by Kara and James though. Especially Kara! That was way to much and she should have been sacked. I'm really happy someone is at Cat Co now that is challenging her and not doing whatever she says, I think the days of Karaolsen magazine and Kara running out whatever she wants are done. But this is good!

Nia is adorable but didn't get to do much.

Jonn was pretty boring this ep considering the villain was out to get him.

James sucks!

Brainy is sooo cute and funny!

Alex and Kelly are the best!

Alex being the voice of reason is what I'm here for, now I want her to go see Lena.

Hahaha Kelly is the one to thank for ridding me of James.

The acting between Mel and Katie here was brilliant, the emotions the tears, the deception? Wonderfully done.

Lena didn't create any VR tech so take that haters!!

Kara's war on tech sounds like it's going to be for boring reasons.

I don't trust this Hope AI!

Lena isn't done for yet, "a fight for Lena's soul!" We can all find our way back to the light!

[the-zodiacs-written-in-the-stars]

Chapter 20: Sander & Sonia

Sebastian heaved a sigh as he sat in a circle with his beloved and her best friend. So it turned out that Joss Parker was Gemini and apparently, that was how Angel had gotten into this mess – she had received a pearl-necklace from Sonia Gold during a photo-shoot and got to activate it when Joss and Angel got involved in an... attack, at Liddell's Sweets. Which was quite peculiar.

“I received the bookmark from Sander”, noted Sander, his arms crossed.

“How... Why would...”, started Joss and shook his head in confusion. “No, no. That's impossible. Why would Sander and Sonia have... two of the pearls? And hand them out like that? I can't...”

“You, what, can't believe your crush would be involved with space-aliens trapped in marbles like they're Pokémon?”, drawled Sebastian dryly, looking over at Angel. “Can't imagine what that must be like, at all. Look. Whatever is going on, this can't be a coincident.”

Joss sighed and tilted his head to avoid looking at them. It wasn't that Sebastian didn't feel for him, really. Joss was one of Sebastian's very few friends. And he knew just how long Joss had been fostering that crush on Sander. The idea that Sander may be involved in something shady – because honestly, why would they have those gems, for so long, and then hand them out like this?

“I will talk to them tomorrow”, declared Joss seriously. “But none of that now.”

“Okay and what would you request now...?”, asked Sebastian suspiciously.

“We're complete, as complete as it can get so it's time for you two to meet the rest of the team.”

“What does as complete as it can get mean, Joss?”, asked Sebastian warily.

“One gem, the Libra, is... in the hands of the enemy”, sighed Joss. “Now come.”

“Where are we going?”, wanted Sebastian to know.

“Where the majority of our team lives”, replied Joss.

~*~

 Jamie was laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. The room was so nice and so large. He loved living here. The entire mansion – oh, the kitchen was a dream, he may actually be in love with it. The pool and all the other ridiculous rooms were nice too. But the kitchen? It made his knees weak.

“I just still can't believe they're Cancer and Sagittarius”, muttered Jamie.

He had known that for a few short weeks now, but knowing it and actually accepting it...? They had gone on missions together now too. Jamie had come to rely on them in battle and he was living with them; the pub was still being renovated, it had been burned down and damaged too much for an easy fix and Jamie couldn't put into words just how grateful he was that not just him but also Ally and Andy had found a place to live here. The thought of Ally and Andy being homeless again had hurt Jamie even more so than the loss of his life's savings and pride and joy.

“Why not?”, asked Leo confused, pawing the pillow next to Jamie.

“They were... supposed to be safe”, whispered Jamie. “A safe crush. A billionaire and his fiance. Not in a billion years would anything come of it, would I be more than... the cook in their favorite diner. Now... Now I'm living with them, fighting alongside them... growing close to them.”

“Isn't that better?”, asked Leo, seemingly even more confused now. “Now you can have them!”

“No”, grunted Jamie and rolled his eyes. “And now it's an even worse idea than ever, because I rely on their generosity to live here and... we fight together, the literal fate of the world... rests on our shoulders, I have no use for any romantic distractions, Leo. It'd only mess with the team and the team is already fragile enough as it is because we're too many and too different in personality.”

Leo hummed, though he seemed no less confused than before. Well, human emotions were kind of complex and weird, it figured that Leo didn't quite have a grasp for it. Heaving a sigh, Jamie got off the bed and got changed for the day. Not that he had a whole lot to do. The bar was still being renovated, the kids were going to school, Matt and Mike went to work... Jamie was mostly alone during the day. He liked to clean up, read in the library, cook – lots of cooking. Jamie didn't do too well just sitting around with no actual work to do. He was a doer.

“He—ey there. Figured you'd be going out of your mind by now. I let myself in.”

“You shouldn't break into other people's houses, Babs”, sighed Jamie fondly.

Babs shrugged where she was sprawled out in the sitting room. “Eh. I'm sure they don't mind.”

“What are you doing here?”, sighed Jamie as he continued his way toward the kitchen.

Babs got up to follow him into the kitchen. She sat down at the table, watching how Jamie got everything out to bake bread. He loved fresh, warm bread. It just... It made everything a little better.

“We need a game plan”, stated Babs. “I mean, it's all fun and games, running around, collecting little marbles when we actually manage to beat one of the symbiotes. But it's hardly a plan.”

“We're already gathering all the intel we can. Without an in with the... enemy... how are we supposed to catch a break? There is nothing to plan”, argued Jamie pointedly.

“Sure. Sure”, agreed Babs. “But, you know... there's gotta be something.”

“If you just came here to bitch and moan because you're bored... go study.”

“Ouch. Why would you hurt me like that”, huffed Babs offended.

“At least come and help me”, sighed Jamie, a small amused smile on his lips.

 ~*~

 Canceling date-night was definitely not something Lizzy wanted to do. Rick deserved better. Alas, it was inevitable. Apparently, they were having an impromptu meeting with the team now, over at the di Girasole villa. She peppered Rick's face with kisses and left him some tarts that she bought specifically for him on her way back from work. That should appease him.

“Okay, I'd love for us to wrap this up quickly so I can get back to my boyfriend, because we had plans. As in, a reservation at my favorite restaurant. And I'm hungry. Don't make me hangry.”

“Right, so... let's make this quick”, agreed Mike as he side-eyed her. “I've seen her hangry.”

“It is not pretty”, agreed Jessie. “So, Angel, Basty, welcome to the team, good to have you, bye?”

No one looked impressed by that and Basty cleared his throat. “The thing we need to talk about is that Angel and I received our jewels differently than you guys did.”

“What. They didn't just pop up in your pockets?”, drawled Babs. “Bizarre.”

“Please refrain from unnecessary comments, cousin”, requested Basty unimpressed. “No, they didn't just show up at random. I was handed this bookmark, specifically. By Sander Hancock.”

“Doesn't ring a bell”, noted Mike, face scrunched up.

“He's the CEO of Gold Standard”, supplied Matt.

“And the other one, this pearl-necklace here, I got from Sonia Gold herself”, supplied Angel.

“...Okay that's suspicious”, agreed Matt with a serious look on his face. “For them to have not one but two of the gems... and hand them out to someone capable of using them, at that.”

“What do we do with that?”, asked Mel, eyebrows furrowed. “We can assume they're on our side, since they chose... well. And not an enemy. But...”

“I think not all of us should go and confront them”, offered Basty.

“No kidding. I'm not to keen on revealing my secret superhero identity to my boss”, agreed Lizzy. “And it'd be seriously risky to just entrust her with that...”

“Angel, me and Joss are going alone”, stated Basty. “To confront them.”

“As good a plan as we could get”, shrugged Jessie. “But... be careful.”

“Also, while we're all together like this. I do think we should... plan ahead more”, threw Jamie in. “Ever since we became one team, thinks had been... more chaotic.”

“Agreed. I propose we go back to the... teams we fought in before. At least for minor missions.”

“Matt's got a point. Maybe we should. Less stepping on each other's toes”, agreed Tanya.

“We got each other's contacts. We can call for backup if something more serious is attacking, but generally, one or two of them... we can take care of in a smaller group”, agreed Mel.

“Gre—eat. So it's decided, we're done, I can go and still make date-night?”, asked Lizzy.

While speaking, she had already gotten up and grabbed her coat. Whistling once, she summoned Jessie to her side – still living with Rick and Lizzy, Jessie did rely on her as a ride. Before anyone could start another history lesson and rehashing of everything they knew – both Mel and Tanya seemed to really love doing that and considering that they now had two shiny newbies to catch up on, this meeting may just take another four hours. No, thanks.

“How are you holding up, Liz?”, asked Jessie softly as they got in the car.

“Peachy. Real fine. So good”, muttered Lizzy.

“C'mon. I know this is exhausting. Babs, Jamie and I have the current advantage of being out of work so we can patrol the city during day-time. But you're juggling your new superhero identity, your very time-consuming job, your boyfriend – and your friends. I know Nox and Alina are worrying about you. So did Joss, well, until he learned the truth and joined our merry band of... whatevers. It's okay to run on fumes, Liz.”

“It's not. I'm fine”, muttered Lizzy dismissively. “I'm an expert at shouldering a lot.”

“...I... know you're strong, Liz. You're like the strongest non-Jamie person I know”, whispered Jessie gently, reaching out for her best friend. “The thing is you don't have to be strong at all times.”

Lizzy smiled, just a little bit, and shook her head. “I just... I just need a vacation, you know? No work, no world-dominating aliens, just Rick and me, going home to New Orleans, visiting my parents – eating my dad's cooking again.”

“Sounds like a good plan”, hummed Jessie, voice soft. “Send me a post-card then, mh?”

 ~*~

 They had decided to do this the next day, since their meeting ran late. It gave Joss another couple hours to brace herself. Still, even as she brushed her hair in the morning, looking into the mirror, she didn't feel ready for this. Sonia was... she was more than just a friend. She was Joss' idol, when Joss had had no one else, Sonia had been there. She had been a guiding force like the older sister Joss never had. And in the face of having lost her family – well, not literally but sometimes this felt worse than if her parents had died – she had found solitude and warmth at Sonia's home.

The thought that Sonia could be scheming in any capacity, be involved with all of this in anything but a stellar way... the thought broke Joss' heart. She took a deep breath and braced herself for the meeting to come. All day during work, she had already avoided Sonia and Sander.

The ringing of her doorbell alerted her that it was time. Taking a deep breath, Joss left, being greeted by Angel and Basty at the car. They exchanged a look and drove in silence, until they reached the villa. It loomed in the distance, even minutes before they reached it.

It was a beautiful, modern building. Strange architecture, white structure with many windows. The villa stood at a cliff overseeing the ocean. The view was beautiful, Joss knew that. She sighed.

“I'm sure this is going to be fine”, whispered Angel, reaching out to take Joss' hand. “They... chose us. So... their intentions must be good, right? They... must.”

Joss hummed, hoping those words to be true. They reached the gate and, once they identified themselves, they were led in. The drive up to the house seemed to stretch forever, but when they did park the car, Sonia and Sander were already standing in the driveway. They looked so... regal, at all times. Sonia was like a queen, her suits like uniforms.

“Joss, my dear. And you bring... friends”, noted Sonia slowly.

One perfect eyebrow was raised at them. Sander rolled his eyes fondly but offered them a welcoming smile and opened the door to welcome the three in.

“Are we making up for book-club...? But without Melanie?”, inquired Sander.

“We're here to talk about your... gifts”, stated Joss in a monotone voice.

“Ah, that's a conversation best held over a glass of wine.”

Sonia casually led them toward the balcony, getting the wine on the way. Joss didn't quite feel like drinking wine. Alcohol clouded the mind. She wanted and needed to stay sharp on this one.

“No games, please. You know what they were. And you know why you gave them to Sebastian and Angelique, specifically”, stated Joss, eyes sharp as she stared at her old friend.

The smile on Sonia's lips was playful as she sipped on her wine. Basty and Angel were sitting slightly uncomfortable, shifting and focusing on their wine for now. Joss appreciated that they let her lead this conversation for now. It was the look on Sander's face that wrecked her though; so open and genuine and... friendly. Oh, she knew why she had fallen for him...

“Fair enough, my dear”, agreed Sonia after a moment. “Phoenix, sweetie, come out.”

She twirled the bracelet on her wrist. Golden, like all her jewelry, but with a salmon-colored round jewel in the center. A warm glow emitted from the jewel, just like Joss had seen countless times by now from her own and from those of the others. And just like she was used to, a creature was summoned. A bird, soft pink in color, warm, with a golden glow to the feathers. At Joss' skeptical look, Sonia offered her wrist so Joss could take a closer look at the bracelet.

“I wouldn't know what animal to associate with Libra, so... is this it?”, inquired Basty fascinated.

“No, it is not. Libra is a dog. And this isn't the symbol of Libra either. A dot within a circle, that's... that's the symbol of the sun?”, observed Joss confused. “What is the meaning of this?”

“This is Phoenix. She is not a Zodiac. She's a constellation, but one of three very special ones, linked with... celestial bodies”, replied Sonia. “Phoenix is the guardian of the sun.”

“Lepus”, called Sander out.

There was a brooch attached to Sander's suit-jacket, one that Joss had noticed quite a couple weeks ago but never really gave much thought to. The brooch, a silver crescent-moon with a brown jewel sat at the tip, started glowing. Angel made the most delighted sound and immediately lunged forward to pet the bunny. A dark-brown bunny with a lighter fluff around his neck and mighty wings growing from its back. Silver dotted its fur in star-patterns.

“Oh, you are simply gorgeous”, cooed Angel excitedly.

“This is Lepus, he is linked to the moon”, explained Sander.

“But... and correct me if I'm wrong, the constellations are the enemy?”, asked Basty.

“That's a very black and white way of looking at it”, chided Sonia unimpressed. “Not all constellations side with Serpentarius. Especially not Phoenix, Lepus and Lupus.”

“I'll bite: Why's that?”, asked Joss slowly.

She was startled when their companions decided to join them after all, the glowing mix of blue, green and pink was obnoxious to the eye, but when the fish, capricorn and owl all bowed down to the phoenix and the bunny, Joss officially did not know what to make of this anymore.

“Because we're their bosses”, replied Phoenix, her voice silky and serious. “The three guardians are the supervisors of the Zodiacs. We landed here first. We attracted them. That is why they all landed in the same place; because we were there. Those that had not been picked up, Sonia took.”

“We spent months searching for someone fit, not just the birth-date but also the duty”, explained Sonia. “The irony, I did want to give one to you, Joss.”

“Why... didn't you seek us out earlier?”, asked Joss, not entirely convinced.

“We are not supposed to intervene. Not that early. They're supposed to form, without intervention”, stated Lepus, nose twitching in that admittedly adorable bunny-way. “However, having lost Libra has forced our hand. And Serpentarius seems to grow impatient.”

“Can you... tell us what they're planning?”, asked Angel hopefully.

“That is not...”, started Phoenix and shook herself, spreading her impressive wings. “Serpentarius had been bonded with a human... and it's the human's motivation that is driving them. We don't know the human, so we can't tell. Serpentarius' gain in this is to take over this planet; the human vessel however... without knowing all pieces, we can't know the full picture.”

“So, how do we find that out?”, inquired Basty. “Is there a way...?”

“So far, it seemed that Serpentarius' intend was to unite you. To mock and provoke. Those small attacks seemed intended to lure you out. Now that you are complete...”, mused Lepus.

“Except we're not”, noted Joss. “We're missing Libra.”

“Libra is Carroll Lewis”, stated Sonia like she was reading them the weather.

“Wait. Wait, that... the billionaire?”, squeaked Angel. “The scary redhead?”

“The scary redhead”, confirmed Sonia, gritting her teeth. “I saw the jewel on her during a meeting the other week. I tried taking it from her, but... that didn't work. She is too clever to just let it be stolen, she knows how valuable it truly is.”

“Okay... a billionaire with high-end security is... not necessarily the ideal enemy”, grunted Basty.

“There's more of you than her and you now know where she is. You have the element of surprise.”

“Sander, that is a horrible idea”, chided Sonia seriously. “She's going to have multiple unattached constellations there and surely people to use them on. Even the element of surprise won't be a guarantee for a win. They're going to risk too much with a direct confrontation; they're not ready for that. You've seen the news. Not even half the team are properly trained.”

“That is a fair assessment, but with every passing day, more people get hurt, things get destroyed, Serpentarius has more time to plan”, argued Sander seriously.

Joss leaned back and stared at the glass of wine in consideration now. Both Sander and Sonia made good points there. Attacking with the element of surprise may be their best bet to get the gem from Libra, however they really were not exactly... well-trained. Despite Joss' best efforts.

“We definitely need to regroup and form a plan of attack. And put more training hours in”, stated Joss seriously. “You two in particular. You haven't had any training.”

“Oh no. No, no, I don't... I will not do any fighting”, grunted Basty, shaking his head. “Books are my weapon. Not whatever this is going to be; physical fights. No. Not happening.”

“I told you not to pick this one”, sighed Sonia disappointed.

“He would be better suited for Gemini than fun-loving Capricorn, but he is still an asset”, argued Sander with a strict frown. “Every team needs its brains.”

Sonia rolled her eyes at him and refilled her glass. Reluctantly, Joss took her glass after all.

“The constellations, they can bond just like our companions? I thought they could only... take over”, whispered Joss, eyes on Lepus and Phoenix. “All, or just the three of you...?”

“Oh, all. Just like your companions, they too can change your physical form. It all depends on how we manifest, what our intention is”, explained Phoenix.

All Joss could do was nod and take a slow drink from her wine. Sonia was talking to Angel now, while Basty seemed rather fascinated by the five talking animals, asking them a ton of questions. It gave Joss the chance to lean back, for just a moment, to concentrate.

“How... are you doing, Joss? I apologize for keeping this from you, though we were not sure you were one of the chosen ones. We could have supported you, had we known.”

Looking up, she saw Sander sitting down next to her, a concerned expression on his face. She shook her head. What was she supposed to say to that? For months, she had fought alone. Now she had this... team. Now she learned she could have been working together with her crush for so long. Her phone in her pocket buzzed and when she checked to see if it was important, the message blinking on her screen was from Savitri – long shift, tired. Thinking of you. It made her smile, very gently.

“I'm doing fine. And I have all the support I need”, whispered Joss softly.

Read here on AO3!

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[sassyshoulderangel319]

@moonlight-lyrics @saviorsong

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Chapter 3 - Human Knight

Melody glanced over her shoulder where Lyric was sleeping in her alcove. Mirabelle had left earlier that day to head across the Atlantic Ocean to Florida where her “human prince”—as Lyric always called him—lived. Which meant that Melody had time to sneak out without anyone noticing. She smiled. It was about time.

Not that sneaking out would get her in trouble or anything. Mermaids did it all the time. She’d just promised Mira she’d look after Lyric. Lyric could look after herself, but with her recent infatuation with the human boy, Mirabelle was concerned because Lyric was younger and less experienced with interacting with humans. Mirabelle believed prolonged interactions were dangerous. Melody didn’t. But since Lyric was asleep, Melody would have plenty of time to go visit her own human.

The metallic streaks on her gunmetal green tail flashed in the moonlight as her fluke stroked up and down, propelling her powerfully and swiftly through the water, sending her brighter green curls streaming behind her. She smiled, relishing in the sense of power. She’d seen so many humans swimming who couldn’t go anywhere near as fast as mermaids.

She surfaced near the coast of Wales, peering at the rockier beach to where a very tall man was waiting. He waded into the sea and swam out to her. A kiss was exchanged. Melody smirked, hearing Mira’s protests in her mind and not caring.

Percival wasn’t Thomas—Mira’s old “prince.”

Percival was cautious and gentle. He was bright but quiet. Tender but strong. He was always careful that no one would follow him when he went to visit Melody.

“It��s been too long,” Melody murmured. Percival smiled as he scooped her tail up in his arm, the other wrapped around her waist, and carried her out of the water to sit next to him a long piece of driftwood.

“Indeed it has,” he agreed. “But I’ve come back here every night, just as I promised.”

Melody smiled. “Well, for the next couple weeks I’ll be a lot freer to come visit. I have a friend who no longer really trusts humans and whenever I leave too often, she gets suspicious. But she went on a vacation to visit the only human she ever trusted and then fled from after he almost got her captured. So I can be here every night without her asking questions,” she told him. “We’ve got a couple weeks of pure interrupted time together at night. How’s life?”

Percival brushed one of her curls off her shoulder and stared at her face like he’d never see her again—the same way he always did. And, in a way, he never really knew if he would ever see her again. Their relationship was a secret to the humans and mermaids—apart from Melody’s two “little sisters.” Most humans didn’t know mermaids were real and mermaids didn’t trust humans.

“Life is much better now that you’re back in it.”

“What about your boss? Is he being any better?”

“Arthur means well. He just doesn’t always know what the ‘best thing’ for his employees is.”

“So why doesn’t anyone say anything?”

Percival shrugged. “For being such a tiny man, he’s very intimidating. I mean, Merlin tells him off all the time—Merlin’s the assistant manager—but Arthur never listens or takes him seriously,” he remarked.

“Maybe you should tell him off then,” Melody countered playfully.

“No. I don’t want to get fired.”

“Arthur won’t fire you. He values you too much from what you’ve told me.”

Percival made a “meh” face. “Maybe. But let’s not worry about that. I just want to be with you right now. For as long as I can.”

The couple sat on the driftwood for as long as they could—before Melody started to get short-of-breath from being out of the water for so long. Then they moved into the water. Percival didn’t like swimming much so he stayed in the shallows and watched Melody, dewey-eyed, as she swam around the deeper parts, showing off her grace and power. She couldn’t help but chuckle as she caught sight of the enraptured expression on his face. Normally he didn’t let his emotions show—or least, not the full extent of them—but when he was around her, he really let his guard down.

When Melody was done showing off, she sat next to Percival, waist-deep in the sea, and kissed him. He kissed her back gently and then just held her to him. His skin was tough and warm—a contrast to cold mermaid skin that weirded Melody out the first time she ever felt it. Months before.

The two just sat and held each other all night, tired but unwilling to sleep, relishing in just being in the other’s presence.

As the sun began to rise, Melody sighed. “I have to get back. I promised a friend I’d look after her little sister while she’s away. I’ll be back tonight.”

“Is this the friend who went to visit her human who nearly got her captured?” Percival wondered.

“That’s the friend,” Melody confirmed. “I’ll be back tonight. I promise.” She kissed Percival’s soft cheek before scooting slightly deeper into the water so she could free up her tail movements and swim away. “I know I’ve never said this before, and please don’t freak out, but I love you.” She bit her lip for a moment.

“How could I freak out when I also love you?” he asked sincerely.

Melody smiled before flipping down into the water and swimming off towards the shoal where Lyric would be hanging out.

The younger mermaid was still asleep in her alcove, relaxed and bobbing up and down under a blanket of woven seaweed. Mermaids didn’t use blankets for warmth. They used them so they wouldn’t float up to the surface of the sea and get torn apart by the propellers of a boat. There had been one too many accidents before heavy woven seaweed and kelp were used to weigh them down to keep them safe.

“Come on, Lyric. Time to get up and have breakfast!” Melody exclaimed loudly, shaking Lyric awake.

“No,” the younger girl groaned, twisting onto her side and curling up.

Melody’s curls swirled around her head as she rolled her eyes. “Come on, Lyric! It’s morning!” she pressed

“Why don’t you go to sleep?” Lyric countered. “You were up all night!”

“How would you know?”

“I was awake when you left and woke up a couple times to see that you were still gone.”

Oh. That would do it, then.

“Well, I had a restful night, even if I didn’t sleep. So, up, up, up! It’s going to be a big day!”

“How so?”

“Well, Mira’s gone for a couple weeks so nothing is stopping you from wooing your new human love!” Melody exclaimed, only slightly sarcastic.

“He’s not my love!” Lyric protested.

“Ah! Not yet! But, see, if you go woo him now, he will be!”

“Meeeeellllll!”

“No, Lyric. You are waking up and having breakfast and then you are going back to that beach to see if your new human is there!”

“But what about Mirabelle?”

“What about her?” Mel countered.

“She’d disapprove. You know she would!” Lyric pointed out tiredly.

“Well yeah. But Mira disapproves of everything involving humans or remotely dangerous. And guess what? She’s not here, so her opinion can’t be weighed in. Come on, Lyric. It’s your life, not hers. And if you don’t live it a little fuller, you’ll look back when your hair and scales are turning gray and be like, ‘Well I wasted that!’ And I don’t want you to waste your life!”

Giving up, and so awake now that she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep if she tried, Lyric threw the blanket off and rolled out of her alcove. “Fine. I’ll go grab some breakfast with you. As soon as you tell me what you were up to all night.”

“I was visiting my human. Obviously,” Melody replied candidly.

Lyric sighed. “Obviously,” she muttered, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. After a big yawn, she gave her good friend a big hug. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Melody smiled as they swam off. “Good. And while we’re on the subject, let me tell you about my experiences with humans. They’re a lot different from Mirabelle’s. I guess it just depends on the human,” she commented.

“Guess so. What do you want to tell me?”

“My human’s name is Percival. He works for a… king named Arthur.” Arthur wasn’t really a king but she didn’t know how to explain what he was to Lyric. “He’s tall, handsome, light brown hair, muscular, dreamy blue eyes. The works. And he’s kind and gentle but strong and fierce. We met when he fell off a boat while I was out looking for new fish. And he always makes sure to protect me. He never disrespects me or anything. And you need to make sure your human is like that. Forget what Mirabelle thinks for now. It’s your decision. But meet him properly before you make it.”